When it’s hot in September, (and everyone is hoping for an Indian summer this year!) there’s nothing like sitting under, or among trees.

Courtyard and urban gardens have long made a feature of compact trees and, with the ranges available now, so can you, whatever your outdoor space is.

Use these fabulous plants to bring style, shade and vertical interest to your garden. If your outdoor space is limited, choose from the wonderful range of foliage colours and plant shapes that Acer palmatum or Japanese maple, has to offer. With more room to play with, Carpinus or hornbeam is a superb garden tree, full of character and interest through the year.

Japanese maple is a family of small, slow growing trees or shrubs that are ideal for container growing. They’re also great for establishing in the ground and will rapidly become treasured plants. They’ve been cultivated as ornamental trees for hundreds of years and it’s easy to see why. The wonderful range of foliage effects and plant forms means that there is an Acer palmatum for almost every mood. It can be a real miniature tree, perfect for container growing, or can grow larger, like ‘bloodgood’, which reaches a height and spread of about 5m.

Hornbeam is perfect where there is more room and offers an interesting option if you’re looking for a bigger tree. With an elegant growth habit and attractive foliage (great autumn effects), it bring a sense of style to larger spaces. The heritage of hornbeam is more utilitarian, though this doesn’t take away from its beauty. The name derives from the hardness of the wood (known as ‘ironwood’ in America) and historically was used for wagon wheels, carving boards and tool handles.

Hornbeam usually reaches 10 to 20m in height, but may grow as large as 30m high in optimum circumstances. Spire-like when young, it becomes ovoid as it matures. Carpinus turczaninowii is an interesting choice, reaching between six and 12m at maturity. Its leaves are glossy dark green, and turn orange in autumn.

Both these tree species need fertile or moderately fertile well drained, yet moist soil in sun or partial shade, although some varieties of Acer palmatum need more shade to achieve optimum leaf colour. Both are fully hardy and need limited maintenance beyond a trim in late winter or early spring.